Experience sharing
2023 July 30th outdoor caring event with the Former Abbot President Venerable Guo Dong at Macquarie University
It was a wonderful opportunity to partake in the outdoor caring event with the Former Abbot President Venerable Guo Dong (退居方丈果東法師), Venerable Chang Cheng (常楨法師) from Dharma Drum Mountain (DDM) Taiwan as well as the new Guiding Venerable of DDM Australia, Venerable Guo Chwan (果傳法師) on Sunday, 30th July 2023, held at Macquarie University, Sydney. It was an enlightening day in learning and gaining more theoretical understanding as well as the practical application of th...
It was a privilege to attend a dharma talk given by Venerable Guo Dong Fashi on his visit to Sydney
It was a sincere and genuine privilege in having the opportunity in attending a dharma talk, question and answer discussion with Venerable Guo Dong Fashi on this recent auspicious visit to Sydney. I had the chance to participate along with other Buddhist practitioners, in attending this session. Through this session, I had gained more understanding on the importance of cultivating compassion and wisdom, how both elements should be conducted concurrently and simultaneously, as both come h...
Reflection of the first talk of “Approaching the Dharma – Fundamentals of Buddhism”
In spring 2023, Dharma Drum Vancouver Centre invited Mr. David Listen for a Dharma Talk series, "Approaching the Dharma – Fundamentals of Buddhism," to speak about basic Buddhist concepts and beliefs. Through this talk series, Mr. Listen explains the nature of our sufferings and describes how we can cease them. According to Mr. Listen, sufferings are developed from our lack of awareness to the nature of all beings and things, including ourselves. We often are...
5/13 English One Day Retreat
I was so happy to have had this chance to attend the English Chan Meditation, especially as it was lead by Fa Shi, which was very helpful for me to learn how to do meditation. I had no idea that there are so many kinds of meditation for us to do. It is very useful for me to learn how to do meditation for dealing with the pressure of our daily lives. I hope I can share what I have learned with others and to contemplate our deep thoughts so as to keep us at ease at all times, ...
5/13 English One Day Retreat
This Chan retreat was very special for me. Gratitude is something I have been reflecting on much recently, and I think humbleness and gratitude are core to Buddhist practice. Gratitude when doing prostrations, gratitude when praying, gratitude when contemplating Tathagata's Name. As Mother's Day was the day after our retreat, I kept my mother in mind. She passed nine years ago, on May 27th. My mother introduced me to Buddhism, and so I dedicate much of my practice to her. I have on...
Taking Refuge Online Experience – April 2023
On April 23, 2023, we had our first auspicious Taking Refuge Online ceremony for the year. This was also the very first online ceremony hosted by Global Meditation Center New York (part of Dharma Drum Retreat Center), after previous sponsorship ended last year. As more and more worldwide practitioners understand Why Take Refuge in the Three Jewels, we had a group of ten (10) fellow Chan practitioners from Australia, Brazil, Singapore, across the United States, and Puerto Rico. Here ar...
Serenity and Warmth in Heart and Mind
My short reflection would be that the Introduction to Chan Meditation was phenomenal and something everyone should do. The instructor, a resident venerable, did an inspiring job and truly inspired my peers and me to continue Chan practice. In giving a complete account of my illuminating experience learning Chan meditation, there is nowhere else to start but saying every second of it gave me such serenity and warmth within my heart and mind. Despite practicing meditation plenty of tim...
The Open Path to Liberation for Everyone
I recently attended a one-day online retreat, hosted by Vancouver Chan Meditation Centre (VCMC) and led by Dr. Rebecca Li. I first met Dr. Li during a residency at Great Vow Zen Monastery in Oregon in the summer of 2022 and was fortunate to be present for an evening dharma talk she gave. I deeply appreciated the clarity and simplicity with which she presented basic Buddhist teachings, particularly her presentation on Right View. When we had the opportunity to meet informally in the dining...
2/12 “Tea & Talk - A String of Pearls” Report
In February 2023, Chan Meditation Center kicked off its newest program "Tea & Talk" in-person. The program will be held each second Sunday of every month from 2:00-3:30 pm, supervised by Venerable Chang Zhai. The first event "A String of Pearls" was on February 12 and led by Sally Boon Matthews, a visual artist and arts educator. During the course, Sally introduced the steps and essentials of threading and stitching. In the past, Sally invited differ...
Thoughts after attending the meditation retreat during 2/4-2/5/2023
This two-day meditation retreat was very rewarding! 1. The useful method of meditation. Venerable Guo Guang and Venerable Chang Zhai taught us to focus on the tip of the nose so that the mind would not be disturbed. Ven. Guo Guang also shared her own meditation story, which was very interesting and showed me a role model to learn from. In addition, I am very grateful to the two teachers for patiently answering many of my questions, which strengthened my determination to practice. ...